research-to-decision-workflow

Research-to-Decision Workflow

Composition recipe for chaining canonical OB1 skills into operator and investor decision workflows.

What It Does

This recipe shows how to use five reusable skill packs together without duplicating their prompt logic. The skills handle the canonical behavior; this recipe defines the install order, workspace structure, handoffs, skip rules, and two recommended paths from raw inputs to a reusable decision artifact.

The canonical reusable skills live here:

• Competitive Analysis
• Financial Model Review
• Deal Memo Drafting
• Research Synthesis
• Meeting Synthesis

Prerequisites

• Working Open Brain setup (guide)
• Claude Code or another AI coding tool that supports reusable skills/system prompts
• The canonical Competitive Analysis skill
• The canonical Financial Model Review skill
• The canonical Deal Memo Drafting skill
• The canonical Research Synthesis skill
• The canonical Meeting Synthesis skill
• Optional but useful: Open Brain search and capture tools so the workflow can pull prior context and store the highest-value outputs

Credential Tracker

RESEARCH-TO-DECISION WORKFLOW -- CREDENTIAL TRACKER
---------------------------------------------------

FROM YOUR OPEN BRAIN SETUP
  Project URL:           ____________
  Secret key:            ____________
  OpenRouter API key:    ____________
  Search tool available: yes / no
  Capture tool available: yes / no

GENERATED DURING SETUP
  Workspace path:        ____________
  Default output folder: ____________

---------------------------------------------------

Steps

1. Install the canonical skill dependencies

Install all five skill packs from skills/ first. This recipe depends on them and does not duplicate their prompt behavior.

2. Create a working folder for the workflow

Create a single folder where the workflow can store sources and outputs:

mkdir -p docs/research-to-decision/sources
mkdir -p docs/research-to-decision/meetings
mkdir -p docs/research-to-decision/models

Then copy the helper template into your workspace or use it as a guide:

• workflow-template.md

3. Start with the decision brief

Before using any skill, define:

• the decision you are trying to support
• the primary audience
• whether you are running the operator path or investor path
• where the source materials live

The helper template includes a short starter brief for this.

4. Choose the path

Operator path

Use this when the end goal is a strategic brief, GTM recommendation, partnership view, or internal decision support:

competitive-analysis
    ->
research-synthesis
    ->
meeting-synthesis

Use this path when:

• you are comparing the market or a competitor set
• you have supporting source material that needs to be synthesized
• you want clean meeting outputs feeding a decision discussion

Investor path

Use this when the end goal is a memo, IC-style recommendation, or diligence package:

competitive-analysis
    ->
financial-model-review
    ->
research-synthesis
    ->
meeting-synthesis
    ->
deal-memo-drafting

Use this path when:

• the economics matter to the decision
• you have an existing model or forecast that needs review
• meeting notes or calls should shape the recommendation
• the final deliverable is a memo, not just a synthesis

5. Respect the handoffs

Each step should produce a clean artifact for the next step instead of forcing the next skill to reconstruct context. The helper template defines a default structure, but the minimum handoffs are:

• competitive-analysis -> market and competitor brief
• financial-model-review -> model review memo with red flags and scenario notes
• research-synthesis -> source-backed synthesis with contradictions and confidence markers
• meeting-synthesis -> decision log, action list, open questions, and follow-up notes
• deal-memo-drafting -> final recommendation memo

6. Skip steps when the workflow is lighter

You do not need every step every time.

• Skip financial-model-review if there is no meaningful model artifact.
• Skip meeting-synthesis if there is no call, interview, or internal review feeding the decision.
• Skip deal-memo-drafting if the final deliverable is a strategy brief rather than a memo.

7. Capture only the durable outputs

Recommended Open Brain capture points:

• after a strong competitive brief is finished
• after research synthesis identifies durable findings
• after meeting synthesis produces real decisions
• after the final memo or recommendation is complete

Do not capture raw packet noise just because it passed through the workflow.

Expected Outcome

When working correctly, this recipe should give you:

• a clean install and usage order for the five canonical skills
• a workspace layout that keeps intermediate outputs reusable
• one of two decision paths that are easy to follow and easy to skip around within
• a final operator brief or investor memo built from explicit handoffs instead of loose chat context

Troubleshooting

Issue: The recipe feels like it is repeating the skill instructions Solution: Keep the boundary clean. The skills are the source of truth for behavior. The recipe should only explain sequencing, handoffs, and workflow usage.

Issue: The memo step feels weak even after running the workflow Solution: Check the handoffs. deal-memo-drafting needs actual research, model, and meeting outputs. If earlier artifacts are thin, the memo will be thin.

Issue: The workflow feels too heavy for a small decision Solution: Use the skip rules. This recipe is modular on purpose. Run only the steps that materially improve the decision.